Welcome to Aincrad
by Blood Brothers
Summary: Best friends Tyler and Marcus dive into the seemingly peaceful VRMMORPG: Sword Art Online, but find that their usual gaming experience is halted. Together, they fight, trying to escape from this deathtrap with friends they encounter along the way.
1. Chapter 1: Welcome to Aincrad

My friend Tyler and I are a couple of gamers. He, a retired man of the military, and I, a college graduate with a degree in biology, made quite the pair. Tyler's wife would often joke about him sending people to the hospital and me fixing them; we went along with it for the most part, except we both knew that I would be right next to him, helping him beat the tar out of whoever deserved it.

The date is August 26th, 2022, and we have only just learned about the Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online game: Sword Art Online. It's supposedly revolutionary, in that it is the first full-dive game to be played entirely online.I was bummed that I couldn't participate in the beta, Tyler could really care less.

"Come on, Marcus, We only have a few more months until it comes out. Besides, wouldn't you rather jump into it without knowing anything about it?"

"I suppose," I replied, getting off the couch and walking to the shelf that housed all our games. "But I'd like to at least learn something about it. You can't really find any information about it from any of the beta testers, because they're not allowed, saying it'll all be in the beginner's guide." I sighed, unable to find anything I wanted to play.

I walked over to my computer, Tyler's on the opposite wall so we're back-to-back. I picked up my NerveGear, the blue-grey helmet weighing my hand down more and more as I await the new game to come out. I groaned and dropped it back onto my desk, about ready to rip my hair out. "Argh! Why can't it come out sooner?!"

"Dude, chill. It'll be ready when it's ready." Tyler said, walking out of the kitchen with a cup of coffee.

"Hey, isn't that like your eighth cup? You really should watch your caffeine intake, man."

"I can't help it, I like being wired. Get it? It's a gaming joke!"

We stood there, looking at each other in silence, before laughing at the horrible joke.

"So, you figured out the name you're gonna use?" Tyler asked, sipping his cup, wincing a little from the hot drink.

"Same as always: Sartarus. What about you? Gonna go with AxelMoon, like usual?" I replied, sitting at my desk and checking my feeds.

"Nah, I think I'm gonna try something different. Maybe…" He paused, deep in thought as I scrolled through my notifications. I groaned at all the junk, mostly stuff from my old university.

"How does Aaros sound?" He asked. I turned and looked up, not really paying attention.

"How does what sound?"

"Aaros."

"Arrows?"

"No, Aaros. A-a-r-o-s."

"Why so many 'a's?"

"Why such a cunt?"

"Bitch."

"Asshole."

We smiled at each other and he took his seat behind me, picking up his controller and starting up his latest shooter. I decided I'd join him, after all, we're basically brothers.

The days crawled by, and I was always checking the release page, watching the timer count down sometimes for almost an hour. I couldn't wait for Sword Art Online to come out, and neither could Tyler, but he had a better time of controlling himself about it.

Finally, the day came that we agreed on to head out, because we'd have to go to Japan to get it, and we'd have to camp out if we wanted to get one of the very limited number of copies. Money isn't an issue, Tyler's benefits paid for the plane tickets, and my salary paid for the hotel room and the copies of the game. We had to compromise and each pay for our own translation expansions for our NerveGear, but that didn't run us too much.

I was practically vibrating in my seat as we waited to board the plane, my NerveGear in my lap in my backpack, the rest of my luggage already on the plane hopefully. Tyler was sitting next to me, reading a book he bought here at the airport, glancing over at me every few minutes and laughing to himself. He thought I didn't notice, but I noticed everything today; I noticed all the different kinds of people, I noticed how most of them were flying on business, and that none of them looked very happy, either. I must be a strange sight, a grown man this excited for something. I laughed at myself and did my best to calm down, pulling my phone out of my pocket and surfing the internet. Shortly after that, my leg started bouncing. Guess I couldn't hide my excitement after all.

The flight was rather uneventful, at least until I fell asleep. I had a dream, and it was a strange one. Rather than creating an avatar once I put on the helmet, it simply vanished, leaving me standing there, in a plaza made of cobblestone. I looked up, the sky was red, and it was dark. I continued to look around me, seeing only empty streets and buildings. I tried to take a step forward, but I was rooted to the spot. I couldn't move my legs, try as I might. Suddenly, there was the ring of a bell, the kind that you would hear in a church. It was slow, and deep, ringing all around me. With each toll, a body appeared before me on the ground, bloodied and beaten. I stood in shock as this happened again and again, the once empty plaza filling quickly with corpses.

The death knell finally stopped, and I stood there, hundreds, maybe thousands of bodies littering the street. I nearly jumped as a blue pillar of light flashed in front of me, and then it was as if I was looking into a mirror. I stood there, looking at myself, and then a slash appeared on the other me's throat, bleeding profusely, but not hitting the ground. The blood then wrapped around him, forming a hooded robe. The form lifted into the sky and grew in size, until the hooded figure loomed over the plaza. I stood there, gazing up at this mysterious figure in wonder. The floor suddenly fell out from under me and I was falling, into a black abyss, the bodies falling all around me.

And then I hear from the darkness: "I welcome you to my world."

I sat bolt upright, sweating bullets and breathing heavily. I looked around the crowded cabin. It's dark now, the aisle illuminated by small lights on the floor. I stood up and pushed my way past Tyler's sleeping form, making my way to the bathroom in the back of the plane. I locked the door and stood in front of the mirror, staring at my pale face and bloodshot eyes. "Man that sucked…" I said to no one in particular. I turned on the faucet and splashed my face with the cold water, sighing and standing there for a few more minutes, regaining my composure.

The plane finally touched down in Tokyo and Tyler and I made our way out into the airport, hailing a cab and heading to our hotel. I flopped on the bed and passed out, thankfully not dreaming this time.

We camped out in front of the store as early as we could, waiting for a couple days before finally getting our hands on a copy. We stood there, posing for pictures for the media, our NerveGears on with a copy of the game held high. We stayed for a bit, chatting, with some of the other buyers, and failing to communicate, so we decided to head back to the hotel for the night.

"Hey, wanna get a head start on the game before we head home tomorrow?" Tyler asked, already pulling the cellophane off his case.

"You really have to ask?" I replied, pulling the disk out of my case and strapping myself in, lying on the bed, waiting for Tyler to get ready, too.

I heard the springs creak from across the room, knowing he was ready.

"Alright," I said, "Three… Two… One…"

"Link Start!" We said in unison, the display lighting up and sending us into the game.

We created our characters, mine a fairly accurate version of myself, not too tall or stocky, with long black hair and a shortsword. I stood in the same cobblestone plaza as in my dream, green cloth armour and a breastplate being my only gear. I looked around and took a deep breath, getting as much of the virtual air into my lungs as I could, before I felt a tap on my shoulder.

I turned and saw Aaros, standing in his orange cloth armour and breastplate. He stood a little shorter than me with his black hair cropped short, and on his hip was a tanto dagger, sheathed in tattered leather. I greeted him with a fist bump and started looking around.

"Alright, so where's the first set of quests?"

We had started playing at about the same time as everyone else, about 1 PM on November 7th, 2022. We played for a few hours, stopping and heading back to the Town of Beginnings around 5 PM. We walked around, looking to see if we could find any new weapons that would be good for our play styles. My eyes lit up as I saw mine, a simple claymore, the two handed grip wrapped in leather. I immediately checked the price tag and my heart sank. I didn't have enough money and it's about time for dinner.

I groaned and turned to Aaros. "Hey, can you lend me some money so I can get this? I'll do the same when we find something you can use."

"Yeah sure." He opened his menu and threw the money over to mine, and I turned, starting the NPC dialogue options to buy this new two-hander.

"Hey…" Aaros said, looking up from his menu. "There's no logout button."

"You're joking, right?" I said, hefting my new blade up onto my shoulder, smiling at the weight and balance.

"Nope. It's just not there. I'm calling a GM."

"You do that. I'm gonna go stock up for that miniboss we saw earlier."

I took a step towards the potion shop, immediately being engulfed in that blue light from my dream. I stopped and looked down, and before I knew it, I was in the plaza of the Town of Beginnings again. I looked around and saw hundreds of others being teleported here as well, Aaros appearing right beside me a few seconds later. We looked around and at each other.

"What is going on here?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. Is it an event?"

"I don't think so. There would have been some kind of notice, don't you think?"

"Plus they wouldn't teleport everyone here…" As he finished, the last of the players were teleported and a red hexagon appeared in the sky. The messages "Warning" and "System Announcement" flashed a few times before the entire sky was covered in the red blocks. I jumped at the sudden change and noticed something dripping from between each of the spaces. It looked like blood... Soon, more began oozing out, joining close to the ground and pooling in the air, the hooded figure appearing before us.

"Attention players. I welcome you to my world."

I froze, my mind going blank as I connected this event with the one in my dream. I zoned in and out, hearing only key details.

Kayaba Akihiko.

No escape.

Death is permanent.

I came to my senses as I turned, and saw Aaros staring at the figure I assumed was Kayaba. His expression was one of hatred, and vengeance.

"Last but not least," I heard from the flying figure, "I've placed a little present in the item storage of every player. Please have a look."

I blinked a few times and swiped down, opening up my inventory, noticing the only new item there, labeled "Mirror." I pressed it, and a small handheld mirror appeared in my hand. Several other characters had the same idea, holding the piece of reflective glass in front of them.

We were all engulfed in the same blue light as before, and when it finally dissipated, everyone looked completely different. Not only that, I looked like my real self. I stared into the mirror until I saw a flash of blue in my peripherals. I turned to Aaros just as he became visible, and saw the short, muscular man that I knew in the real world. I stared at him in wonder. He turned and looked up at me.

"Sar, I've got a bad feeling about this."

"Yeah, me too."

Then we heard Kayaba again.

"This marks the end of the tutorial and the official launch of Sword Art Online. Players, I wish you the best of luck."

And then he vanished. The sky cleared up and everything was quiet for a few seconds, then the panic set in. People screamed and ran about, many huddled up and tried to stay out of everyone's way.

Before I could react to the riot, Aaros ducked my head down and led me through the crowd.

pushing and throwing anyone who got in our way. Within seconds, Aaros rushed a nearby door and threw me inside, slamming the door shut behind him. He had unknowingly thrown us into the inn, where we could stay safely until the commotion outside died down. I stood up and brushed myself off, thanking him and getting us a room to stay for the night. I walked upstairs and sat on the bed, cupping my head in my hands.

Aaros stepped inside after me and put his hand on my shoulder. "We'll figure out what's going on, Sar, just gotta keep our heads on straight."

"Yeah… Yeah, you're right…" I said to the empty space in front of me. He walked around and sat on the empty bed, sprawling out and getting relaxed.

"Not much more we can do today. Might as well get some sleep."

"Are you sure we should be sleeping at a time like this?" I asked, a little worried.

"There's no logout button, at least, not from what I saw. In some games, they make it to where you can only leave at certain places. If a town isn't a place for us to leave, and Kayaba was telling us the truth, then there's nothing else we can do." Aaros said as the crowd grew louder outside. "By tomorrow, a lot of people are going to be dead. When you let the stress cave in on you, and you do nothing but panic, it leads you to do stupid things. Like taking on something you can't handle. So believe me when I say this, our first objective should be letting this all settle itself out for tonight. First thing tomorrow morning, we'll check the shops and stock up on whatever we need. After that, we have to be on our toes. I don't want to see another comrade die."

"Damn. I didn't think of it like that…" I stared up at the boards that made up the ceiling, staring off into space. "But we can handle this. We've been in stickier situations and come out relatively unscathed." I grinned and reached out with my arm, my fist in the middle of the room. Aaros chuckled and touched knuckles before we finally turned the lights off and ended the day.


	2. Chapter 2: Confrontation

The next morning was a strange one. I awoke to Aaros standing by the window, gazing over the Town of Beginnings. I looked up at the ceiling and spaced out. It took me a moment to remember the events of yesterday: the promised death game and the fact that we're trapped. I sat up and looked around again, observing the wooden walls and simple decor.

Aaros must have heard me, as he turned around, his face solemn as he walked over.

"You ready to start this thing?" He asked. I looked up at him and shook my head a little.

"Just give me a second…" I replied, throwing my legs off the side of the bed and stretching. I stood up and looked out the window into the plaza. Unlike yesterday, it was almost completely devoid of life, mostly NPC's roaming the cobblestone streets now.

"It feels weird, y'know…" I said, trailing off.

"Yeah… To think this isn't real life kinda bugs me, too." Aaros responded. He swiped down and opened his menu, switching through several tabs, looking for something. "I found something last night that I think you would like.

"What?" I asked, turning to face him again. He grinned and walked over, letting me see his drop-down menu. He pointed to a particular checkbox and leaned over so I could read. He was pointing to the content filter section of the menu, and under it I saw "Mature content: enabled."

I stood there for a second and stared at it, until finally my brain registered it.

"You made it so you could see tits."

He laughed at my bluntness and nodded. "More or less, yeah. It's only available to the players that are over the age limit."

"Well. I don't see any reason to not turn it on if you can." I chuckled to myself, cycling through the menus to turn mine on.

"Alright, you awake yet?"

"More or less." I commented, unlocking our door and stepping out into the hall. It was the same as out in the plaza: completely empty.

"Looks like everyone split town." Aaros stated, stepping out behind me.

"Yeah, looks like it. And if that happened, then most of the people are probably to the next town by now."

"Which means that the local monster spawns should be fairly unoccupied."

"I think it's time to go hunting." I said, before a loud rumble echoed through the hall. "Right after breakfast."

Aaros laughed and walked downstairs, and I followed suit. Luckily, the inn serves breakfast for those who spend the night, so we don't have to pay any extra to be fed. In the common area, we find a group of players, all of which looked crooked. I walked over to find a table, while Aaros went to get us some breakfast at the bar.

One of the shady players at the other table stood up and smiled at me, which made him seem even more susicious.

"Hey man, that your friend?" He said, sticking his thumb over his shoulder, pointing to Aaros.

"Yeah, what of it?" I said, coming across as harsh from the vibe I got from this guy.

"Hey, no need to get snippy," He said, holding his hands up defensively, sporting that same crooked grin. "My friends and I were just wanting to know if you guys wanted some help; you know, I scratch your back, you scratch mine."

"Yeah, but I don't plan on scratching your back anyways." I said curtly, still standing, not wanting to be caught off guard by sitting down.

"Jeez, what a hardass. Come on dude, haven't you heard of strength in numbers?"

"More numbers only means more room for error," Said a voice from the corner of the room.

The man looked in the direction of the voice to see Aaros staring directly at him, holding one of his friends' arms in a lock. "Error number one: Focussing on one target while the other target moves in for the kill."

The guy's friend stared down at the table, a look of confusion and worry spread across his face. He looked to his friend for help, practically begging.

The other member of their party stood from his seat, raising his fist to strike Aaros. As the blow got closer, Aaros slid to one side, letting the attacker's body mass drag him straight into the nearby wall. The man was thrown back by a shock wave as the words "Immortal Object" covered the point of impact on the wall.

I immediately grabbed the one in front of me, spinning him around and pushing my boot into the small of his back, sending him forward onto the floor, scrambling to get up. When he finally did, Aaros released his friend, pushing him onto the floor, making him tumble before retrieving two plates of food from the table.

The trio regrouped, closer to the door and glared at the two of us, not making the mistake of letting us get behind them again.

"Mark my words, you noobs. You've made an enemy today, and we won't stop until you're dead, you hear me?"

"Whatever," Aaros said, taking a seat beside me. "If you can't beat us now, what makes you think you'll be able to beat us later?"

I took a seat across from Aaros, grinning from ear to ear as he slid the plate to me. "Just make sure we don't kill you first." I said, smirking over my shoulder at them.

The trio tried to show that they weren't intimidated, and failed miserably. "You only beat us because you got the jump on us. Next time, you won't know what hit you!"

Aaros gave a slight grin, looking directly at the party of three. The three of them backed towards the door as Aaros's grin turned to an evil smile. "Then the next time we meet, if you don't die before then, I'll make sure to make each of your deaths as slow as possible."

The gang's leader's face slowly turned into one of terror, before turning to his friends and walking out the door. His friends followed quickly behind him, both looking as scared as he was.

I turned back to Aaros once the door was closed and we both started laughing.

"Holy crap I can't believe they bought it!" I said, holding back waves of laughter.

"I know! 'I'll make your deaths as slow as possible. Muahaha!'" Aaros said mockingly, before throwing his head back and laughing.

"You were pretty convincing, though. Sure you weren't being just a little bit serious?" I asked jokingly.

"I don't know, piss me off and find out." Aaros said grimly, leaning forward over the table, before smiling wide. "Don't worry, brother. My days of killing are over. My killing days ended when my military contract expired."

We both gave a good laugh before returning to our food. Maybe today won't be so bad.

."So where are we off to first?" I asked, patting my stomach as I finished the last roll from breakfast. "A majority of the people are probably on their way to the floor boss."

Aaros seemed deep in thought as he scanned the plaza. "Let's check the shops first. We should probably get some potions in case we get ourselves into a tough spot."

"Yeah, you're probably right." I said, heading down one of the alleyways where the street vendors are waiting. "Now, which one of these shops has the potions and stuff…"

Aaros started walking between the stalls, looking back and forth, noticing each shop sold a different class of weapons or armour.

"Wait a second…" Aaros interacted with one of the vendors before pulling up a small book. "This is very interesting. The vendors are giving away free starter guides."

"Really?" I asked, turning to the nearest vendor and interacting with him. Sure enough, there was a small, worn book bound in leather for 0 Cor. I huffed a little and bought it, pulling it from my inventory. I started flipping through it, skimming a bit of each page.

"Huh," Aaros said, holding up his guide, "Says here this book was made due to combined data from the beta testers."

"Really? Well that's cool." I said, still skimming, the pages going blank after information on the tenth floor. "Welp, looks like they didn't get very far."

"You're right. But, then again, the beta didn't last very long. Nonetheless, this information will come in handy." Aaros said, putting his book away. "Alright, so it said we should check the map." He said, pulling up his map from the menu screen.

Aaros started walking down the alley, and I followed suit, my two handed sword over my shoulder, trailing behind me for several feet. We finally found the shop, and used the remainder of our money to stock up on varying potions.

I groaned with sadness as I saw my Cor drop to zero. "Why must everything cost so much?"

Aaros gave a slight chuckle as he continued to observe the map.

"Hey, Aaros, what are you looking for?" I asked, peeking over his shoulder.

"Oh, nothing. I'm just learning where all the key NPC's are. We need to do more quests so we can replenish our money and gain a few levels in the process." Aaros said, reading the details to a quest.

"But don't you think we would grind on monsters for most of the low levels and get more quests in the next town?" I said, pulling up my map as well, scrolling over to the next big town. Sure enough, there were more quest markers, but they were red, instead of the usual yellow. I tapped one and saw that the level requirement for most of the quests in the next town over was 5. I groaned as I exited, starting to head towards the town's main gate.

"Where you off to?" Aaros asked, starting to follow close behind.

"Gotta level up so we can get better quests." I replied, stepping out of the safe zone, a message flashing in my field of vision, stating that I was now in the wild.

The sunlight looked beautiful, streaming down from the overhead branches of a tree. It still amazes me how you can feel the breeze and smell nature's many fragrances.

Aaros was sitting on the ground, leaning against the trunk of a tree as he observed the loot collected over the past two hours of grinding. "If we keep this up, we should be able to afford some new armor once we get to the next town."

I couldn't help but jump with excitement. "Finally! I'm getting tired of this starter armor. It looks like shit."

"Amen to that, brother." Aaros said with a soft chuckle.

Aaros got very quiet as he closed his menu. "Sar, keep your eyes open. We're not alone out here."

I quickly took my two-handed battle stance as my claymore glistened in the sun's light. "What do you mean? Did you see someone?"

"If it looks like it doesn't belong, it usually doesn't belong."

The only sound I could hear was the rustling of leaves in the wind. But I did see something peculiar. In a nearby bush, I noticed a small opening where the leaves parted. Following the direction of Aaros's eyes confirmed my suspicion.

"You should come out. There's no point in hiding anymore." I said, readying my blade to strike, the tip of the blade on the ground.

Nobody emerged from the bush. Nobody called out to us. Instead, a small object shot out from the foliage. And it was heading my way.

I dropped to a roll, dodging the object as it flew past me. As I stopped my roll, I saw another object fly towards Aaros. He also jumped to the side, dodging the object as it pierced the tree he was leaning on.

The small object protruded from the tree, sun reflecting off of its metal body. As I looked closer, I realized what it was. "A throwing spike?"

I was so focused on the spike that i didn't notice the figure beside me until it was too late. I felt a tingle of pressure impact with my ribs as the figure struck me with a steel toed boot, sending me into a roll as my sword was flung into a cluster of foliage.

"Looks like you two aren't so tough after all." Said a familiar voice. The group of players from before emerged from the woods, all with weapons drawn.

I gritted my teeth as anger flooded through me. "You bastards. What do you think you're doing?"

"Isn't it obvious?" The man said with his crooked smile. "We want you both to die."


	3. Chapter 3: Naya

"Hey, Kanda," The one with the throwing spikes spoke up, speaking to the one who kicked me in the ribs, "That guy had a two-hander, didn't he?"

The one who kicked me looked up and scoffed. "Even if it was, there's no way he could use it. I doubt he's even leveled up his one-handed skill." He laughed and I stood up, clutching my side. My ribs were throbbing and it was hard to breathe, this must be a simulation of broken ribs. The tingle from the impact slowly dissipated from my chest and into my toes, before disappearing completely.

"Damn…" I choked out, before straightening up. "That hurt…"

"You okay, Sar?" Aaros said a few feet away, not taking his eyes off the trio.

"Yeah, just got the wind knocked out of me. Can you handle these guys while I grab my sword?" I asked, chancing a quick glance behind me to try and find it. Sure enough, there it was, the sun shining off of its blade. Kanda's words echoed in my head: 'No way he could use it… leveled up his one-handed skill...'

I groaned to myself and darted for my sword. "I'll show him…" I muttered under my breath as I grabbed the leather-bound hilt. I could hear Aaros charging them behind me, and blows landing. I spun on my heel and made a mad dash into the fray.

I prepared my weapon for an attack, but I couldn't feel the weapon-assist. I swung, and there was no energy trail, showing that I used a sword-skill. The third member dodged easily, and the force of my swing threw me off balance, giving him the perfect opportunity to stab me in the side with his dagger.

I tried to push myself away, but he grabbed my throat and sneered, getting his face close to mine. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my health bar shift from green and moving far into the yellow. I saw something new pop up, though: a green block with a skull and crossbones inside. That bastard had poisoned me. My vision was blurry, and there was this intense ringing in my ears. I finally gathered the strength to bring my foot up and shove it into his gut, separating us. My limbs started to ache, until my legs fell out from under me.

I heard my name, I remember that much, and then I opened my eyes, looking up at the thin canopy of leaves above me. It took me a second, but I remembered that I was in the middle of a fight. My wound throbbed horribly as I stood, my health decreasing in little ticks, still from the poison. My vision was still blurry, but the ringing wasn't anywhere near as bad. I looked over and saw Aaros taking on all three of them, and getting thrashed. The thugs' health bars had been knocked out a bit, but not enough, one was deep in the yellow, but the other two were still green.

I opened up my menu and dragged out an antidote and a health potion, making sure to equip my starter weapon, seeing as I couldn't use my fancy new sword yet. I gulped down the bottles of liquid and almost immediately felt better. I stood up, still waiting for the dizziness to finally fade before heading into the fray. I ran forward and yelled from about twenty feet away: "Switch!" Aaros dropped to his knees and slashed at the enemy's legs, his blade striking true and dropping his opponent to his level. Aaros smirked as I leapfrogged off his shoulders into a downward stab at the incapacitated enemy. My blade glowed a bright green and I smirked, sure I was about to succeed in my attack. The one called Kanda dashed in from the side, deflecting my blade as I thrust it in his comrade's direction, sending it above my head and knocking me off balance.

I hit the ground stumbling, and almost falling. I straightened myself up to see him almost in my face again, grinning devilishly. Aaros proved himself useful, once again, and threw his shoulder into Kanda, pushing him away from me. We stood shoulder-to-shoulder and stared down the group of players, our weapons at the ready.

They stood like we did, Kanda and the other one looking alright, the third heavily wounded. He started to cycle through his menus, trying to find a potion.

"Oh no you don't!" I cried, dashing forward, Aaros shouting, trying to stop me.

"Sar, wait!" But it was too late, my sword skill had already started, and my blade connected. It went from his floating rib up to his shoulder, slicing him clean through. I stood there, grinning as his two pieces fell and shattered; and then it finally hit me: I just killed a man.

I had forgotten that this wasn't just a game, anymore, that this was real. I stood there, horrified as I looked up, Kanda and the survivor were glaring daggers at me, and rushing forward.

Time was all but stopped. I saw a glint of purple, and a light blue line coming right at me. The blue hit me first, a throwing dart dug deep into my shoulder, and knocked out a huge chunk of health. A surprising amount of health. I was in the orange. Kanda's hit would kill me. Everything was still slow motion, and I was sure I would die. I saw a flash of orange, and Kanda's head drifting away from his neck, a look of shock on his face. Behind him, I saw Aaros, his sword arm extended, and his face hard as stone.

This wasn't his first time killing, I could tell by his expression. He didn't like this at all.

As Kanda's lifeless body hit the ground, it burst into a shimmer of pixels. Aaros standing over them as the drifted past his face.

The last guy stood inches away from Aaros, shaking so much that he lost grip of his throwing dart. I couldn't blame him. I was looking straight at Kanda and never saw Aaros until Kanda's head went flying.

With a glare as cold as ice, Aaros just stared at the trembling man. "Arm yourself."

The man shook his head as tears started to run down his face.

"Are you refusing to fight?" Aaros asked, slowly closing the distance between them.

"No. No, please! I'm sorry!" The man cried as he backed away from Aaros. He would have probably tried to run if he didn't back up against a tree.

In a split second, Aaros had the dropped throwing dart in his hand and had thrown it straight at the trapped man's face

I could hear the whistling of the dart as it soared through the air, the scared man's gasp, and the impact of the dart hitting something solid. Yet, the man stood there, wide eyed as he stared at Aaros.

The dart was flush against the man's cheek, dug deep into the tree's bark.

"I don't want to see you again. If we cross paths on the streets, I expect you to just keep walking. If I feel like you plan to hurt me, or anyone I care about, I promise I will end you." Aaros was practically spitting poison at that last part.

"Are you okay, Sar?" Aaros asked, a sense of his usual self bringing me back to my senses.

"Yeah. I'll be fine. Are you okay?" I asked, still looking at the man who, moments ago, almost killed me.

"I'll be fine. Come on. Let's get out of here." Aaros said, walking down the trail towards the next town.

I followed after him, taking one last look behind me. The man was now on his knees and hunched over. Even from this distance, I could hear him crying. I don't know a lot about mental trauma, but I know a broken man when I see one.

We made it to the nearby town without further incident, the short walk being accompanied by a deafening silence. Aaros turned to me and put his hands on my shoulders, looking up a little bit to look me in the eyes.

"Sar. I know this sucks. I of all people here should know how you feel, and I do. If there's anything I can do for you, let me know."

I simply nod and sit back on a brick ledge, the town's fountain rippling behind me as I stare down at my feet. Aaros sighs and scratches the back of his head, starting to look around.

"Hey man, it's starting to get late, I think I'm gonna go scope out this place and think up a game plan for tomorrow. You just… Sit here and gather yourself. I'll be right back, alright?"

"Yeah," I reply, looking up and giving a half-hearted smile. "Yeah, take your time, hurry back."

He chuckles at my intentional oxymoron, turning toward the business district where most of the NPC's seem to be congregated, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I sit there and close my eyes, listening to the fountain behind me, and doing what I do best when I'm stressed: meditate. My mind slowly loses focus and becomes blank, and suddenly I'm aware of everything around me. The trees scattered about the square, the leaves rustling as the occasional breeze blows by, stirring the air and keeping it from going stagnant. I listen as the birds chirp and skip around on the cobblestone streets. I can hear the white noise generated by the NPC's talking amongst themselves and little snippets of conversations from the few players who aren't out fighting or questing.

It's calming, but then something feels off. I can't quite place it, but something is strange. I lift my head and open my eyes to see a player not far from me. Reflexively, I jump up and grab at my sword at my hip, my hands and legs shaking.

She jumps back and throws her hands up in defense, "Wait wait wait! I-I'm not going to hurt you!" I don't know why, but I trust her; although the other players I've met haven't given me a good standard to go on. "Promise." She adds, almost like an afterthought.

I let out a shaky exhale, letting go of my sword and sitting back down. I look down at my hands, which are trembling feverishly. Am I really that traumatized…? It doesn't feel like it. But then again, I guess trauma doesn't feel like trauma until well after the adrenaline wears out.

"Are you okay?" The girl is still there, her voice cutting through my thoughts like a hot knife through butter.

"Y-yeah. I just... " I trail off, not quite sure what to say.

"Just… What?" She asks. Her voice is fairly high pitched, so she can't be but in her late teens, maybe early twenties.

She hums softly when I don't respond, walking closer and dropping down into a squat in front of me. Only now is it that I get a good look at her; her eyes are a golden colour, almost like honey, her hair a dirty blond, almost matching her eyes if it weren't for the light brown that catches my eye every now and then.

Suddenly, she jumps back up, grinning like a fool. It startles me a little, almost sending me backwards into the fountain. I flail and she reaches out, grabbing my hand and pulling me back onto my seat.

"Sorry, sorry!" She says, stifling a giggle. I can't help but notice how friendly she is to a complete stranger, and how the same thing nearly got me killed earlier.

"My name's Naya." She says, a smile perched on her dainty face.

I sit there, looking up at her before pulling my hand back, and placing it in my lap.

"You know, it's rude to not introduce yourself to someone when they tell you their name," she says, puffing out her cheeks childishly as she leans forward to look into my eyes.

We look at each other for a few seconds, before she huffs and stands back up. "Okay, mister grump, you're coming with me." She says, grabbing my hand and pulling me to my feet again, making me stumble as she drags me towards the edge of town.

"H-hey! What do you think you're doing?!" I yell at her, but she ignores me, dragging me out into the forest.

"Come on. You!" She points at me for emphasis, "Are going to help me finish this quest! Maybe then you'll open up some more." She grins and opens up her menu, working in it for a few seconds before a dialogue box pops up in front of me.

"Naya has invited you to join their party."

"Come on, it'll be fun!" She says, seeming awfully bubbly for someone who is trapped in the death game.

I sigh and press accept, the dialogue box disappearing and a second health bar appearing below mine.

"Hey, your HP isn't at full… Did you get in a fight or something before you got here? Ooo! This is no good. Here." She says, thrusting a small vial with red liquid in it in my direction. I stand there, looking at her hand before tentatively taking the small potion and drinking it down. My health bar filling up completely afterwards.

"There," Naya chirps, clapping her hands together before pulling a shield off her back and a hand axe from her hip, "Now, let's go kill some stuff!"

Naya and I spend the next hour or so battling monsters, but with each of my sword swings, I'm reminded of the members of Kanda's gang; the one I sliced in twain materializing himself in my mind with each attack. My stress finally gets to me as I get knocked back by one of the monsters, Naya jumping in and burying her axe into its head. It lets out a shrill shriek before shattering, the pixels disappearing shortly after.

She grins and stands over me, triumphant, but I sit there, the stare of the man burned into my brain.

Naya cocks her head and walks over, offering a hand to help me up. I ignore her and stand on my own, picking up my sword.

"How can you do it…?" I ask, looking at the dirt beneath my feet. The long shadows of the trees stretching across the terrain like fingers. They frighten me. Like the fingers of the dead rising from the soil to drag me down with them.

"Do what?" She asks, checking out the loot from her latest kill.

"How can you be so cheerful? I mean. This is a matter of life and death. We're like Kayaba's pawns in a game of chess. We're expendable!" I had started shouting. I don't know when, but I did, and I don't feel like stopping.

"Well, I guess then I'll work my way to his side of the board and become queen!" Naya retorts, smiling wide, showing her teeth.

"It's not that simple!" I snap. My blood is boiling. How can she take this so lightly?! This is a matter of life and death!

"This isn't a game! One fuck up and you're dead! I don't think I can handle that pressure! I've already been forced to kill someone today, and I want to just die!"

 **Slap!**

I stand there, a feminine handprint glowing red across my face. Naya stands before me, her hand at the end of the follow-through to her assault. I raise my hand to my stinging cheek, and she huffs, staring dead at me.

"Keep talking like that and you will die!" She snaps, baring her teeth. "I've already had a friend commit suicide because he thought he couldn't handle it! You killed someone already? Then you're strong enough to survive this hell! Come on Sartarus, get your fucking head in the game!"

I stand there, ashamed to be verbally assaulted by a girl who seems to be so much younger than myself. I sigh and hear a familiar voice from behind me.

"She's right, you know." I turn to see Aaros standing in the middle of the path, hand on his hip with a smirk across his face. "I didn't say it earlier because I figured you needed some time to think, and me trying to talk to you would have been pointless."

"Ty- ...Aaros…" I stand there and look at my lifelong friend, turning back to Naya, who is still glaring at me, her cheeks puffing out. It's kind of cute, actually.

I take a deep breath and let it out slowly, smiling wide. "Alright! I'll survive this. We're gonna win this game, and we're gonna go home. Right, buddy?" I turn to Aaros, holding my balled fist up.

He grins and walks over, practically punching my fist. "You got it, blood brother."

Naya bounces over and puts her dainty hand on top of both of ours, grinning madly. "Hey! Don't leave me out!" Her change in mood is almost scary.

Aaros and I laugh and look at her before looking back to each other.

"It's good to have you back, brother."

"It's good to be back…" I smile at him, lowering my hand and looking up, the orange sky is getting darker almost by the second.

"Well, I'm gonna head back to the inn for the night. Feel free to join me when you're done, okay man?"

"Yeah. Sure thing." I reply, waving him off as he heads back to town. Naya enthusiastically waves him away, starting to walk out of the forest into the nearby field.

"...Hey, Naya?" I call out, causing her to turn around, her shoulder length hair twirling around her face.

"Yeah?"

"How is it that you knew my name when I didn't tell it to you?"

She giggles and sticks her tongue out at me, turning around and taking off into the field. "Catch me and I'll tell you!" She laughs as she runs, making me smile and run after her.


	4. Chapter 4: Girlfriend?

I finally catch up to Naya, smiling as I reach out to grab her. She ducks under me and turns around, sticking her tongue out at me again. She loses her footing, though, and falls backwards, and I trip over her, catching myself before we butt foreheads. She giggles and pokes my nose with her finger, looking up at me.

"I saw your name when you joined my party, silly…" She says, barely above a whisper.

I scoff, mentally beating myself for not figuring it out sooner.

"You can call me Sar, by the way." I inform her, starting to push myself up away from her.

"Wait…" She says, putting her hand on my shoulder, making me continue to hover over her. She looks me in the eyes and I look back into hers, my breath starting to catch in my throat.

"Your eyes are really pretty…" She whispers, still looking up at me, her breathing seeming to get heavier, but I don't notice; the blood rushing to my cheeks making my ears ring.

Suddenly, Naya grabs my collar with both hands and pulls herself up, planting her lips firmly against mine, and holds me there, despite my surprised jump.

I eventually close my eyes and gently lower us back to the ground. The sounds of the evening time insects starting to fill the air around us. She slides her hands from my collar up my neck, deciding to rest her palms against my flushed cheeks. My hands still haven't moved, holding my body above hers, so I don't squish her delicate frame.

After what feels like an eternity, she pulls her face from mine, leaving my lips cold against the soft breeze. She lets out a soft breath and a small smile creeps its way onto her lips. A tiny giggle escapes from between them a few seconds later, followed by a short statement: "Breathe, Sar."

I had stopped breathing without realizing it, and I catch my breath with a light chuckle, closing my eyes and turning my head. "Guess you took it away from me."

This time, it's Naya's turn to blush, her cheeks and ears rosy from my words. I smile and push myself back up into a sitting position, putting myself beside the young girl still lying on the ground.

We sit there in silence for several minutes, perfectly content with the insects' serenade on the breeze. I finally decide to break the silence, looking up to the just now darkened sky.

"Your eyes are really pretty, too…"

I hear her giggle from beside me, and feel a slight tug at my sleeve. I look down to see her lying on her side, her thumb and forefinger pinching my cuff.

"Come with me," she whispers, slowly climbing to her feet, her light grip ever present at my sleeve. We climb the small hill we were on, and return to the town, and enter the inn. She leads me up the stairs and through the hallway lined with doors, opening the one on the end. She lets go of me finally, stepping inside, and leaving the door open.

I walk in and close the door behind me, turning back to the center of the room. The only source of light is the candle on the bedside table. Naya stands in front of me, the bed behind her.

"Naya…? What ar-" She shushes me, bringing a finger to her lips as she pulls up her menu, going to her equipment tab. She starts to unequip herself, soon standing before me in only her undergarments, her collar and shoulders glowing a bright red along with her cheeks and ears.

I can't help but look her over. She isn't small, by any means, her fair chest and equally nice backside give the girl a figure that is pleasant on the eyes, and I find myself starting to blush as my mind wanders.

I hear a nervous giggle and the rustling of bedding as she crawls into the only bed in the room. "N-no dirty thoughts, Sar… I… I only wanted some company tonight, that's all…"

I blush a little and let out a soft laugh, running my fingers through my hair, stepping closer to the bed as I follow the same pattern of undressing. I hear her pull the blankets up over herself more, the closer I get, the poor thing clearly nervous beyond belief.

I let out a heavy sigh and lift the blankets on the opposite side of the bed from her, exposing her half naked front to me. Her thighs now have a red tint to them, as she pulls them up, trying to hide herself.

I smile and shake my head, sitting down and pulling my legs under the blankets, before pulling them up my chest as I lie on my back, turning my head to look at Naya.

She smiles her little smile and crawls closer to me. I raise my arm and let her nestle her head into the crook of my neck, her hand sliding across my chest to hug me close. She presses her thighs against mine and I feel her soft skin against me for the first time.

Naya sighs and presses her face into my neck, squeezing me a little. "I hope you don't think I'm weird for this, Sar…" She whispers into me.

"No, I don't. Given the situation…. I understand completely… I just wonder how Aaros is faring. He's married you know, out in the real world."

"Is he? She must be lucky then. But for now…" She trails off, leaving me waiting for her to finish her thought. I'm left waiting, though, as I feel her breathing even out and deepen, letting me know she fell asleep. I chuckle and squeeze her with my arm.

"Good night, Naya," I whisper, to which a soft mumble is her only response. I reach over and wave the candle out, leaving us in darkness as I close my eyes, joining her in slumber.

The next morning starts peacefully. Naya and I wake around the same time, and when she notices, she plants a soft kiss on my neck, and stands up to get herself equipped once more. I leave the bed and do the same. We end up doing this facing away from each other.

Aaros apparently woke up at around the same time, leaving his room a few doors down and noticing Naya and I leaving hers together. He didn't say a word. He gave me a warm smile and an approving nod as he sipped from his cup of what I assumed was coffee. Naya catches the gesture and blushes scarlet, her face and neck looking ready to burst into flame. She clutches onto my arm and buries her face into my shoulder as we make our way down the hall.

"Coffee?" I say into the thick air.

"Yup." Aaros replies, raising his cup a little.

"Got any more?"

"Not since we got here, but it looks like you did."

Naya squeaks, the noise barely audible to either of us, and she pulls her face from behind me, looking at him. "N-nothing h-happened…" She stammers out, hardly convincing anyone.

I end up having to vouch for her, but Aaros doesn't believe me. I can tell from the look in his eyes, but Naya seems to calm down at his "acceptance" of it. She releases my arm from her death grip and I can finally feel the blood return to my fingers. The three of us decide to head downstairs and partake in a hearty breakfast. Luckily, Aaros and I had saved up enough to get the good stuff for once. Naya eyes the plates of food as I carry hers and mine over to the table, Aaros coming up behind me. We all sit and enjoy our meal, too busy stuffing our faces to talk, so, we eat in relative silence, until we get finished.

"Bwah!" Naya releases a contented sigh, leaning back in her chair and patting her stomach. I chuckle as I lean my chair back on two legs, picking my teeth clean. We sit in contented silence, not really wanting to do anything but sit here and enjoy each others' company. I hum to myself as I cycle through my menus, sending a party invite to both Naya and Aaros, who agree without a word.

I stand up with a stretch and start walking to the door, glancing back and smiling. "Come on guys, we got work to do if we ever want to get out of here."

Aaros groans and follows my lead, standing up and stretching, waving his hand at me as he steps outside. Naya doesn't stand, seemingly having passed out at the table.

I sigh and point Aaros back into town, closing the door to the inn behind me. We walked the cobblestone streets into the business district so we could start our quests for the day.

"What? Just gonna leave your girlfriend there?" Aaros jabbed, smirking in my direction as we walked.

"Not girlfriend." I corrected, continuing to look ahead. "Besides, haven't you ever heard that expression about sleeping dogs?"

"Oh so your girlfriend's a dog now, huh? Sar, are you lying to me when you say nothing happened last night?"

"Nothing happened."

"Sure."

Just about then, a ringing came up, and a small box popped up in front of me, with a shaking phone receiver and two buttons. I blinked and hit accept, and a larger window came up, Naya's angry face in front of me now.

"You guys left me here!" She yells, puffing up her cheeks at me.

I jump at the sudden outburst and stutter a little with my response. "W-well, you just looked so peaceful, I thought you'd appreciate it…" I turn my head and rub my neck. I catch Aaros holding back laughter behind the call screen, and I tell him he's number one with my middle finger, where Naya can't see. He chuckles and turns, waving at me.

Naya sticks her tongue out at me, clearly not satisfied with my answer, and looks at me scoldingly. "Now you have to make it up to me! We never did finish my quest yesterday, so you're definitely going to help me with it today!"

I chuckle and smile at her. "Sure sure, just show me where you got the quest so I can do it too."

This seems to satisfy the energetic thing, as she claps her hands. "Yeah, I'll show you, but you have to come get me, so I can show you where the NPC is."

I smile and assure her I'll get her, hanging up before running my fingers through my hair. "This girl might be a bit of a handful…. Ah well, we'll see how it goes."

The hours pass, and finally, Naya and I finish up the quests from yesterday, the sun now high in the sky as we sit with our backs against a rather large tree.

"You ever gonna switch from that starter weapon?" Naya asks me, referring to a problem i was having killing a creature earlier.

"Well, I have a replacement weapon, but I don't have the skill to use it yet." I reply, scratching my cheek.

"Oh? Even more reason to get back to it, huh?" She suggests, standing off and dusting off her backside.

"I suppose, but I don't think I can get much done with my stomach growling like this."

I look up to see a box wrapped in a checkered cloth, held in an extended hand in front of me like a gift. The owner is smiling with one eye closed, standing over me.

"What uh…."

"It's lunch, silly."

"You made lunch…?"

"Yeah. I figured this would happen, so I made lunch. My cooking skill isn't that high but I think I can manage a simple meal." She says, her voice lilting ever so softly.

I smile and take the boxed lunch from her, unwrapping it in my lap. The box is simple: a dark wooden box with a lid. Simple, yet effective.

I pull the lid off, inside is a simple sandwich and a small salad.

"This actually looks pretty good, Naya. Thanks." I look up to see her cheeks turning pink as she smiles, clearly pleased with my assessment.

"I hope you like it, Sar." She says, still standing as I dig in.

"Are… You gonna eat?" I ask, after noticing she hasn't produced her own lunch.

"Oh, well… I-I'm not hungry, so I thought I'd wait for lunch. I think I'll just watch you for now." She says, leaning back against a nearby tree.

I look up at her, and then look down to my lunch, going back to it. It tastes wonderful, and is quickly finished off before I stand back up, dusting myself off and smiling at Naya. "Ready?"

"Yeah, let's get you that skill." She says, jumping out in front of me, her weapon at the ready.

The hours tick by once more, Naya and I catching up with Aaros a few minutes ago. Seems he was having troubles with a miniboss he found in the field and led it back to us. We dispatched it quickly, a dialogue box appearing in front of me, but neither of the others.

"What's it say?" Naya asks, looking hopeful. She's asked the same thing after every encounter, wanting for me to be able to use a new weapon just as much as I do.

"Just the last attack bonus…" I sigh, hitting the accept button. It was nothing more than a basic smithing material. After closing that one out, another, larger box pops up, large letters at the top.

"Huh. I leveled up." I hum, reading through it, checking my stat increases. "New skill available…?" I murmur, clicking on it.

A third dialogue box opens up, in large words, reading: "Two-Handed Sword Skill available!"

"No way." I say, closing it out and looking around. I cycle through my menus and equip the once unusable giant sword. It feels lighter, more balanced. I find a monster and approach it, starting to raise my sword. It glows green and I bring it down a few seconds later, slashing the rather large boar in two with one strike.

"Wow." Aaros says from behind me. "That's pretty damn strong. I think it fits you."

"Yay! Finally!" I hear Naya say. I turn to face them and see our newest companion jumping up and down, looking to be more excited than I am.

"Yeah. About time, too. This would have helped so much against that band of thugs." I say, turning to Aaros. He nods but frowns at me, wishing I hadn't brought it up.

I turn back to Naya just in time to have her hug me tight, nearly knocking me over. I grunt and hugs her back, smiling wide with Aaros looking on.

I look down at Naya who surprising me by kissing me, without warning. I blush and stand there, holding her for a few seconds, before giving in. I kiss her softly, enjoying the bit of weight she is pushing against me.

Aaros chuckles and brings us back to this world of pseudo-reality. Naya blushes furiously and smiles sheepishly.

"And now I'm starting to think more and more than something happened last night." Aaros jokes, laughing before patting my shoulder. "Congratulations," he says.

I smile and shoulder my sword, letting out a sigh. For what he is congratulating me, I'm not sure, but it's either for finding Naya, or for the sword skill.

The three of us make our way into the field, walking with no direction.

"Hey," I chime in after the long silence, "Let's check out the dungeon."

Aaros hums and thinks on it for a minute. "I don't see any reason not to. We have teleport crystals, right?"

"Last time I checked I had a few."

Aaros and I are both ready to give it a try, but Naya seems a little hesitant.

"B-but what if we find a trap room?"

"Then we'll just have to be careful and not check out anything suspicious."

"Trap room?" I ask, seeming to be out of the loop.

"Yeah," Aaros replies, looking over to me. "A room where crystals don't work and the monsters are stronger. Did you even read that guide…?"

"I uh… I skimmed it." I respond, rubbing the back of my head.

Aaros and Naya laugh a little, walking ahead of me a ways, towards a little field outpost.

"Either way, we should stock up. We all have leveled up several times since we started, so I'm sure we could use some better armor," Aaros says, confirming that he has sufficient Cor to get something new.

"That doesn't sound like it would hurt. Might hurt my wallet, but not me." I chuckle, my joke getting nothing but blank looks. "Oh come on, that was funny."

My friends laugh at my attempt to justify myself, making me smile.

Everything seems to be going smoothly, let's just hope it stays this way.


	5. Chapter 5: Realization

The shopping spree finally ends; Naya, Aaros and I having split up to find our own gear.

We return to what seems to be the lead cart in this caravan we found in the field, the NPC's pleased to have our patronage. I decided on building on my strength, rather than speed, having gotten heavier armor: a large chestplate and metal pauldrons, a pair of steel greaves rattling with each step.

Aaros decided on something more conservative: leather with scale mail sewn into it in key areas, mainly near his heart and collar. Naya had a similar idea, wanting to keep her speed up, most likely. 

We smile at each other, the three of us now looking the part of budding warriors.

"Okie doke! So, are we gonna hit up the dungeon?" Naya asks, looking to the large black obelisk far off to the north.

"I doubt we're ready, but we can at least check it out." I reply, following her gaze. I wonder what the inside of the dungeon is like, my mind drifting through images of a maze, or maybe an arena type area where players defeat wave after wave of monsters.

Aaros snaps me out of my daydream with his speculation.

"It looks to be a few miles away. By the time we get there it will be dark. We should head to the town that's supposed to be near the base, though, resupply and get a good night's rest."

He has a point. I'm eager to see what we can do in the dungeon, but I'm starting to doubt my own strength. I let out a shaky sigh at the thought that I could possibly die, or maybe one of my friends, but finally steady myself and heft my sword up onto my shoulder.

"Can't sit around wasting time, then. Come on." I smile as I start walking towards the tower; the pitch black surface shining in the artificial sunlight.

"Gah!" I let out a grunt as I get knocked on my ass by a timberwolf. The monsters are getting stronger the closer we get to the dungeon, and progress has been slow.

"Sar!" Naya yells, shrieking afterwards when she is attacked by another wolf, barely deflecting the attack with her shield. She has her hands full without worrying about me, and Aaros is nowhere to be seen.

I stumble to my feet, winding up my sword skill again. The wolf charges me, biting and clawing as my skill comes to an end, my sword cleaving its head in two. I pant as I let my sword stay on the ground, almost completely exhausted.

I've learned that my new skill may be powerful, but it's terribly slow, giving monsters and enemies a chance to swoop in and deal some damage before I can make a move. If I were playing against an intelligent being, like another player, they could kill me easily.

"I have to be really careful…" I mumble to myself before pulling my blade from the dirt. I start making my way towards Naya, to see her get tackled by the wolf. I hear her scream as the wolf pins her down, starting to claw at her shoulders, getting ready to bite down on her throat.

I can't get there in time. Naya is going to die. I push myself forward, one foot in front of the other, trying my damnedest to save the girl I've come to like as more than a friend. Would I ever tell her that? If I can save her, I will. I'll let her know how much she means to me, but first: I have to save her!

I'm nearly halfway before a bright orange streak flies past my field of vision; a large hunting knife buries itself in the wolf's neck, warranting a howl as it falls over and shatters, the polygonal fragments drifting above the motionless Naya.

I drop my sword as I get close, falling to my knees and picking her up. "Naya!" I call out to a traumatized girl, and I don't think she hears me. Her eyes are vacant, and she's staring off into space.

"Naya! Come on, snap out of it!"

"She's in shock." I hear over my shoulder, Aaros walking over to retrieve his knife that he had thrown. Must be a new sword skill of his.

It makes sense now, and I look back down to her, and she finally looks up at me. Her eyes tear up as she sees me, her face shifting to one of pure terror. "S-sar…." Is the only thing that escapes before she begins to wail into my chest, holding me tightly.

I sit there, holding her tightly, my face buried in her golden hair. Naya and I sit there for what feels like hours, but only turns out to be about ten minutes, Aaros standing behind us, making sure nothing sneaks up on our group.

Naya sniffles as she pulls away, her cheeks stained with the trails of her tears, her whole face red from the ordeal.

"I… I wanna go home…" She whimpers, gripping the cloth on my arms, her knuckles turning white.

"I know… That's what we're trying to-" I start, but she cuts me off.

"I mean… I don't want to do this anymore…" She chokes out, on the verge of tears again. "I want to go home… I want to see my mom, and dad, and my older brother… I miss them so much…" She trails off into a whimper before pressing her face into my chest again; her soft trembling lets me know she started crying once more.

Aaros and I look at each other. He knows her pain, but I don't.

When he was twenty-one, Tyler had been shipped off to Afghanistan. His reserve duty had just about run up, which would free him from his military contract, but the Army called, and he was on a flight the next day.

He had made the rank of Sergeant over the few years he had been enlisted, and was put as his squad's leader, commanding 6 others in the desert.

I don't know why, but he was sent home after only 7 months. He refuses to tell me, but I can tell it's not something anyone would want to recall.

The man who came back was not the same man who left.

This is what was on my mind as Aaros and I carried Naya back to the inn, and got her nestled into bed.

Aaros left the room before me, seeming to be in a rush. I turned to leave after him, but felt a familiar tug on the cuff of my sleeve. I turn around to see Naya's outstretched arm holding me, working its way to my hand, and firmly grasping it.

Naya mouthed something to me, and I couldn't hear it, but I didn't need to. I sat on the edge of her bed and leaned over her, holding her hand tightly as I kissed her. She seemed to melt into the bed the longer it went on. It was gentle, sweet. I didn't need words to show how I feel anymore, just being here is enough, and she surely feels the same way.

The minutes pass, and finally our lips part. I stand, and she reluctantly releases my hand as I start to walk back towards the door. I turn back to her, a soft smile creeping across my face as she does the same.

"You'll be back, right?" She says to the room. I stand there for a few seconds, asking myself the same question.

I nod and smile a little more. "Yeah. Count on it." My response warrants a large smile on the girl's face, her comfort making me happy.

As I leave, I see Aaros leaning on the windowsill at the end of the hall. He's not looking anywhere but at his hands, and they're gripping the wood so tightly I'm surprised there isn't an Immortal Object notification.

I walk up behind him, not wanting to say anything, for fear of it being a flashback. Just as I reach out to put my hand on his shoulder, though, he speaks up.

"We were shelled."

"Beg pardon?"

"Yeah. In Afghanistan." He takes a deep breath and turns to face me. "My squad was shelled by mortars."

The silence that ensued was thick enough to choke on. I didn't know what to say, and Tyler didn't want to continue, but he did anyway.

"That afternoon, we had breached our target, an arms stockpile bigger than any I had ever seen before. We searched everywhere, and were ordered to terminate the targets. Obviously, we did, but that's not the problem."

He stopped to run his fingers through his hair, looking back down at them after.

"The problem is, that we didn't look hard enough. Turns out they had a trapdoor under the fucking rug. It was chock full of mortars and insurgents. They heard the commotion upstairs and decided that night, that it was time for a little payback."

He let out a shaky breath. This hurt. I know it did, and I almost spoke up to stop him before he continued. 

"I heard it first, the whistle. It's just like in the cartoons, man. Just… A whistle, and then an explosion. Did you know those explosions turn the sand into glass? We sure as hell didn't. I woke my bunkmate up first when I yelled. He jumped down and got under the bed. The rest couldn't get to safety fast enough. The first died from the actual shrapnel from the mortar. The tailfin lodged itself in his chest. The guys on the other side of the tent actually got hit by one. Ever heard of pink mist?" I gulped, only able to imagine the horror. I nodded softly to him, praying he wouldn't keep going.

"It was over in about thirty seconds. The Lieutenant radioed in about thirty seconds after that, wanting to know what the hell happened. They heard the shit from the other tents around the city."

He was shaking at this point, and I grabbed his shoulders, looking him dead in the eyes.

He looked back at me, and his eyes were empty.

I let go of him, and he leaned back against the wall, looking sullen. "All I could do was scream. My squad died and I couldn't do anything to save them," he continued, his voice shaking.

"What's the point, man? I mean, why are we fighting? My squad was the best there, and we got annihilated! What's the point of trying to push forward if we're all gonna die anyway?!"

I grabbed him by the collar at this point, and dragged him to his room. I threw him on the bed and stood over him, and he looked up at me, still in Afghanistan.

"Tyler… I'm not gonna try to act like I know what you went through, and I'm not gonna give you this 'whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger' speech, because I'm sure you've heard it a thousand times, but God Damnit, Tyler Stracener, I will not let you have a fucking existential crisis while we're fighting for our lives!"

He turned his gaze away, ashamed of his moment of weakness.

"Look, we know when to pull back. We won't die here. I'll make sure of it." I gave him a reassuring smile, and walked towards the door. "I'm going hunting. You stay here and try to cool your head, alright?" Aaros nodded and laid his head on his pillow. He looked like he wanted to tell me to be careful, but he didn't need to. I turned and closed his door behind me, taking long, quick strides toward the front door of the inn.

"I feel like I should do something for those two… Maybe try to find something that can lift their spirits…" I murmured to myself, stepping out into the bright artificial sunlight. I start to look around the center of town, until I decide to open up my guidebook.

I hum as I start walking towards the large stone archway separating the safety of town from the dangers of the wild. I walk through and see the purple notification pop up in my field of view: "Wilderness"

I close my guidebook, having settled on what I'm going to do, and start walking to the northeast, towards the dangerous swamp area of the first floor.

The first floor is mostly plains in the south, surrounding the Town of Beginnings and the outlying towns. To the northwest is a thick forest, covering most of the western part of the floor, and to the northeast is a treacherous swamp. Just north of the swamp is the town of Tolbana, only about a half mile southeast of the dungeon labyrinth.

As far as I know, no one has been this far north, sticking mainly to the open plains in order to stay safe. My mind continues to wander as I change terrain; my feet starting to stick in the mud, and a new icon appears under my HP bar: a foot with a slash across it. It's pretty obvious that my mobility would be hindered here, but I didn't think it would be an actual debuff.

I continue my trek into the marshlands, surprised that I haven't encountered any enemies, despite the fact that I'm about a half mile from the small town Aaros and Naya are staying.

I start to grumble, missing my friends already. Their constant chatter while traveling was such a comfort, and now that it's gone, it's awfully unnerving; although it's keeping me on my toes. I can hear the insignificant insects buzzing amongst the scattered trees, and the buzzing of the much larger monster insects off in the distance.

In the bottom right of my vision, there's a new icon: an ear. I blink a few times and pull out my guide once more, searching for this new icon within its pages. It appears that I am training my listening skill. This could be useful in the future, so I find a fallen tree and take a seat on its wide trunk, listening to the wildlife.

A soft breeze is blowing through the swamp, making the sparse trees and thick bushes rustle. I try to focus and listen for the closest monster. Perhaps using this new skill could help me avoid another mishap like this morning.

Damn it, I can't believe I had been so careless… I mentally berate myself for letting Naya fall into danger, and bring my fist to my forehead, manifesting my anger at myself.

Before I realize it, I had zoned out, and spent a significant amount of time hating myself. So much so, that I didn't hear the creature approaching from the side until it was right on me.

I threw myself forward off the fallen log, and into the mud. I had barely missed an attack that would have hit me had I not moved. The debuff under my HP bar now has a "x2" beside it. Debuffs can stack, apparently.

I pull myself up onto my feet in time to see a giant hornet flitting around in front of me, its wings a blur as it moves up and down and side to side. I retrive my claymore from my back and ready myself. At this point, the x2 had disappeared, meaning now I'm only slightly slower.

The hornet flies high, higher than I can reach on my own, but I initiate my sword skill anyway, waiting for it to start one of its own, which it does without much pause. It swoops down on me, stinger glowing purple and raised back, ready to strike once I'm within range.

I let out a yell, but it feels more like a lion ripping its way from my throat, and it sounds like it too: the sound of a big cat roaring emanating from my throat. At that moment, the hornet's eyes flash red, and it charges faster at me. I start my swing, catching it in the thorax when it is about 4 feet from me. Its stinger can't reach me from here, so I follow through, slicing it in two with my powerful sword skill. The pieces fall to the ground and shatter into blue glass, floating by me as I close out the battle result screen. These hornets reward quick a large amount of Cor, but I don't think I'd be able to handle more than one at a time.

I look around and start listening again. Hearing the low drone of a large insect, I take off towards the sound, ready to find and kill another hornet.

I break through a line of trees and stop, the sound having gotten infinitely louder.

I fucked up.

I'm standing in a clearing with an enormous hornet's nest, the man-sized bugs crawling all over it and buzzing around. I slowly start walking backwards, but trip when my foot gets caught in a low hanging vine. The extra sound of my armour crashing to the ground catches the attention of a few hornets, and they start their way towards me, ready to strike.

Try as I might, I can't get up, the vine still wrapped around my leg. Finally I break free, and head into a sprint, the hornets right behind me. I break out of the swamp area and feel my speed go back up to normal, noting the large difference. I chance a glance behind me, and see three bugs still following. It doesn't look like they are going to leave me alone, either, so I spin on my heel and turn to fight them.

The three of them seem to be jockeying for which one gets to strike first, so I leap forward and swing, catching one in the abdomen and sending it backwards. The other two seem to compose themselves, and start flying at me. I raise my sword and block one, but the other flies above my blade and pierces me in the shoulder with its stinger.

I cry out and jump backwards, the red pixelated hole in my pauldron throbbing. I growl as the one I struck rises, rejoining the other two.

"Need some help?" I hear from behind me, a small, nasally voice. I look back to see another player, shorter and in a large cloak that covers their entire body. They look up at me with fierce eyes, light brown hair cascading down their shoulders, and three black streaks adorning their cheeks, making the player look almost like a rodent.

I turn back to the hornets and yell back at them: "Please!"

I stand there for a few seconds without hearing anything, and turn back to the mysterious player, to see them holding up 3 fingers.

"300 Cor, and I'll tell you how to beat them. With your sword it shouldn't be too much of a stretch to say you'll kill them in one hit each." The player that looks like a rat smirks, standing fast with their offer, and I turn back to the creatures who are still advancing.

"Yeah! Sure! Whatever! Just tell me how to do this!"

"The chink in their armor is where the thorax and abdomen meet-"

That's all I needed to hear as I wind up my sword skill, charging forward and unleashing it, tagging two out of the three with it clean across. I hit right where the other player told me, and sure enough, the injured hornet and the one I blocked from earlier shattered into fragments, leaving me alone with a solitary monster. Now the playing field is level, so I take a deep breath to calm down, and the hornet charges me. I wasn't ready!

I cringe and hold my sword up again, and see the figure from earlier jump forward from behind me, and stab a large hunting knife into the section they mentioned before, kicking off the hornet's abdomen to get away safely. They must be powerful, because the hornet exploded right then into a million shards, floating past the both of us.

"500 Cor." The mystery player says.

"Wh-what? I thought you said 300!"

"300 for the information, and 200 for me risking my hide." They turn back to me, giving me a cheeky smile. Now that we're closer to each other, I can see feminine features to their face. I blink a few times at my own realization and the revelation of this new expense.

"Fine." I tell her, materializing two 250 Cor coins from my inventory and holding them out to her.

She snatches them from me and smiles. "Pleasure doing business," she says, still sporting that cheeky smile.

"Who are you? I owe you my life, you know." I say, stabbing my sword into the dirt, leaning on the hilt.

She hums and puts her finger to her chin, probably thinking about whether she should charge me or not.

"Most people call me The Rat, but only a few are allowed to use my name." She grins wider and holds up one finger. "One-hundred thousand Cor and I'll tell you~" She says, chuckling. Her laugh almost sounds like a rat squeaking, so her name fits.

I groan and rub my face, looking down at her. "So, Rat, what are you? Like… An information broker or something?"

She nods softly and hums a little, "I wrote those beginner's guides, you know. That one's on the house." She laughs again, and I roll my eyes.

"Say, Can I ask you something?"

"For a price." The Rat replies, her hands disappearing inside her cloak once more.

"Do you know of any good places to eat in the small town just south of here?"

"I do, but it'll cost you."

I groan and pull my sword out of the ground, throwing it over my shoulder.

"No no, not like that. The place is expensive. On the house."

I smile and thank her, taking the directions she gives me once I get back into town. The place isn't just a restaurant, but the NPC's that live here rent out the upstairs, as well. I decide to check it out and price it all up, figuring it shouldn't be too terrible to afford dinner and a night.

My jaw nearly hits the floor as I see the prices.

Well, looks like I'll be hunting for a while longer.


	6. Chapter 6: A Valuable Lesson

I fall to my knees, into the mud as I dispatch another hornet. I fall onto my back, panting heavily from exhaustion.

How long has it been since I started? Well, I left Aaros and Naya this morning around ten…

The Rat saved me somewhere around noon…

It took me an hour to walk to town, and another hour to come back to the swamp…

And I've been fighting ever since.

I sit up and shiver. The wet mud on my back feels weird, despite my heavy armour acting as a buffer. I swipe down, looking at the equipment mannequin showing my equipped gear. It's awfully bare…

I look up in the top right corner, noting that it is now almost 20:00…

"Fuck. I've been gone all day." I groan to myself as I stand, starting the walk back to the plains. "Now, the restaurant bill will probably cost 5,000 Cor, and to rent out that upstairs for a few nights was… Dammit, I forgot the number… I think it was like 3,000…"

I continue mumbling to myself as I make my way back to the inn that I left Aaros and Naya in this morning. I push the door open and walk up the stairs and towards Naya's room. I open the door to see the room empty. I blink a few times and nearly trip over myself trying to run to Aaros's room.

I fling the door open to see Naya sitting on the edge of the bed and Aaros perched upon the dresser on the other side of the room. I let out a relieved sigh and step inside.

"Hey. Where you been all day?" Aaros asks, one leg swinging free over the edge of the dresser.

"Yeah, what gives?" Naya adds, half glaring at me. "It almost felt like you ditched us…"

I stand there, dumbfounded. It's hard to believe that these two were nearly catatonic this morning, and now they're hyped up. I guess that's what sitting in a room all day will do to you.

"Well, I thought I'd go do some looking around town, see if there was anything worth checking out."

"Uh huh. Did you find anything?" Aaros asks, seemingly skeptical.

"As a matter of fact, I did. Did you two have dinner yet?" They shake their heads, Aaros jumping down from his perch.

"You think we have the money to actually get a fancy dinner again? The only thing we can really afford is the 1 Cor bread all NPC's sell."

I wave off his words, opening the door. "Don't worry about it. It's all on me." I assure him, walking out the door, leaving it open.

I start my walk down the stairs and call back to them: "Come on, or you'll be left behind!" I smirk as I hear footsteps and a door closing.

The three of us walk, me leading by a few yards, down side streets until we finally get to a quaint little building with large windows and a small sign above the door with a fork and a knife crossed on it.

I step inside without a word and find a booth. Aaros sits across from me and Naya beside me, both of them looking around, drinking in the sight of this place.

The lighting is dim, mostly because of the time of day and the fact that the only light sources are candles on each table and a few hanging on the walls. The chairs have soft cushions and rigid backs, promoting good posture. The tables they surround are well maintained, the thick wood polished and clean.

Aaros turns back to me and glares a little. I smile at him and produce a canvas bag filled with Cor and drop it on the table. Each coin is worth 100 Cor, and there is 10,000 Cor in the bag.

A few coins spill out and a hand reaches out from across the table, snatching them up and pocketing them. The owner of the hand slinks into the seat beside Aaros, her rodent-like face twisted into a cheeky grin, just like earlier today.

"Hey!" Aaros says, standing and nearly knocking the table over.

"Sit." I tell him, smiling at the still hooded player. "I still owe you for showing me this place, so I guess I can treat you to dinner." I tell her, and her smile grows.

I can feel Naya's gaze piercing me, her jealousy thick in the air.

"That's right, Sartarus~" The nasally voice responds.

I blink and lean forward a bit, looking under the hood. "How did you know my name…?"

She snickers and wags a finger at me. "That's my job, Sar-kun~, to know things and then sell it~"

"An information broker?" Aaros chimes in, looking back over to the new player at the table.

She grins and hums a little, ordering a pitcher of ale, and the waitress appears with it only a few seconds later. The petite rat then proceeds to chug it. She drains the wooden mug in seconds, and orders another.

The three of us, Naya, Aaros and I, stare at her, curious about the alcohol in this game, and whether or not it has the intended effect.

"Wait, are you the one who wrote the beginner's guide?" Naya asks, connecting the small rat imprinted on the back leather cover with the rat sitting across from her.

"Yup!" She says, taking a large swig from her second mug.

"So… You're Argo the Rat?" Naya inquires further, making our new acquaintance choke on her drink.

"Damn, I was hoping to squeeze a hundred thousand out of your friend here…" She lets out, turning to me and smirking.

I groan and rub my face, ordering my own pitcher of ale, ready to find out for myself if I can get drunk. It arrives in seconds, just like Argo's. It makes me wonder why they even put in waiter and waitress NPC's. They must have fetch quests in some of the other towns or something. I keep on this train of thought as I do as Argo did, and chug the amber liquid.

I slam the mug down and let out a held in breath, "Yup!" I exclaim, the mug disappearing as the waitress comes and takes it. "That's beer all right!"

Aaros and Naya chuckle at me, Argo starting to stare at me a little.

"What?" I ask her, leaning forward on the table.

"Oh nothing. I just think you'd be a plentiful source of income…" She replies, leaning back.

At this point, it seems like everyone is hungry, so we all ordered our food and dug in.

The meal went by in relative silence, the only sounds being comments on the food and sounds of approval.

We all finish our meal and sit there with nothing to fill the silence; so we let it engulf us.

Argo was the one to finally break it. She stood up and gave a slight bow. "Well then, I'll be off." She says, turning to walk out the door. Her hand on the handle, she turns to our table once more, and with a smirk, says: "And Sar, next time, don't run headlong into a Swamp Hornet nest. On the house~" She says with a cackle, walking out of the restaurant.

I cringe as I hear a pair of hands slam onto the table. I look up to see Aaros already across the room, heading for the front door.

"W-wait! She didn't mean anything by it!" I call out to him, to which he responds with nothing but an infuriated glare. His gaze digs deep into my soul, making me fear for my life. I'd only seen him this upset once, and I'm glad I wasn't on the receiving end of his anger..

He exits in a rage, slamming the door behind him, prompting an Immortal Object notification.

I feel a soft shuddering beside me, looking at Naya who has her hands in her lap, and her head down. I can't see her face for her hair, but I don't need to to see that she's crying. The dim sparkles falling from her chin let me know everything I need to. She looks up at me, her face showing nothing but pain. Whether it be from anger or worry, I'll never know.

She stands slowly and turns to me, the tears dripping from her chin and disappearing simultaneously. She opens her mouth to speak, but closes it quickly and shakes her head, walking quickly towards the door.

I'm left there, alone and hurt.

The next two hours pass in silence, as I drink mug after mug of ale, slowly but surely feeling the effects of the alcohol. I stand up to leave and it hits me like a tidal wave. Suddenly, I am very, very drunk. I shudder and shake my head, using the wall to guide me towards the door. I get a prompt asking if I'm finished with everything and hit yes, paying my bill and stepping out into the cold night air. I grab my arms and start walking, quite lost in my drunken stupor.

I finally find my way to the center of town, leaning against walls to keep my balance. I look out across the plaza, seeing Aaros sitting on a bench with his hands between his knees and his leg bouncing, Naya sitting beside him, rubbing his back.

Why does that sight make me angry? I don't know why, but it does. And right now, I'm not in the best state of mind, so I decide to act on that anger.

I stumble into the cobblestone square, approaching the two of them on the bench.

"Hey!" I call out, my words slurring a little. I get in range of the two, leaning against a small tree growing out of a stone circle.

Aaros doesn't even look at me, and Naya looks up, and back down.

"Hey! Stop ignoring me!" I say, taking a few steps forward, stopping a few yards away from my friends.

Still, they do nothing.

"So, what? I'm gonna bust my ass all day to get you guys dinner and a fancy place to stay for the night and I end up spending it alone? Yeah! Great friends!"

That finally made Aaros lose it.

"Look, you drunk fuck!" He says, shouting right out of the gate. He jumps to his feet, nearly knocking Naya off the bench. "You went out without saying a word to either of us, and we were actually about to go looking for you when you came back! Talking about great friends?! You're one to fucking talk!" He snarls at me, his fists balled up tightly. If he could bleed, I'm sure his palms would be right now.

"H-hey guys…" Naya chirps, quiet as a mouse, "C-can we not fight…? We're supposed to be friends…"

"Right! Friends! That's right! And friends do things for each other, right?!" I shout back at Aaros, matching his tone and volume.

"Friends don't run off and not say a fucking word!"

"I was trying not to make you guys worry!"

"By making us worry more?! You had Naya worried because you said you'd come back!"

"Bite me you short prick! I was trying to do something nice!"

Aaros stands down and takes a few steps back, taking in a deep breath. "You wanna fight?" He says, his voice leveling out. "Fine." He says, opening his menu and initiating a duel request. "Let's fight."

I jab at the accept button, a countdown timer appearing between the two of us, the rules below it: The first to go into the yellow zone loses.

I pull my sword off my back and hold it out in front of me. Even drunk, I can still fight.

Aaros stands there, his eyes fierce as he stares me down. From the side, I can hear Naya's protests, but the blood surging drowns her out.

The timer finally hits zero and I run towards Aaros, sword reared back and glowing. As soon as I'm close enough, I smirk, starting my swing. Aaros ducks as soon as I move, and throws his leg out in a wide arc, sweeping my feet out from under me, making me hit my side and my sword skill misfire. The next thing I know, he has his knee dug into my sword arm and his knife blade pressed firmly against my throat. I look up at him, slack jawed. Having the wind knocked out of you makes you sober up pretty quickly.

"I forfeit…" I say softly, but loud enough for the system to recognize. The duel ends and Aaros is declared the winner. He stands up and offers a hand to me, his gaze still cold. I take his hand and heft myself up onto my feet, my eyes never leaving a particular space in between two stones.

"Naya and I were talking earlier about how I should train you two. You apparently have the skill to fend off a ton of mobs at once, but you have so much wasted movement it's embarrassing."

I finally look back up, but not at Aaros. Naya nods softly as she approaches, her hands wrapped around each other in front of her.

I look back to Aaros and let out a sigh. "Fine. But only because I want to kick your ass next time."

That familiar competitive smile crosses Aaros's face as he holds his hand out again. I firmly grasp it in mine and we shake, Naya beaming off to the side.

The three of us climb the ladder into the attic of the restaurant, to find a large open room with a sofa in the middle, a dining table to the side, and a window niche on the far wall. There are two doors on either side of the room, one marked "bathroom" and the other marked "bedroom" in fancy script.

Naya immediately jumps up and runs to the bathroom door, flinging it open and squealing. "Me first!" She says, disappearing behind the door.

"Wonder what that was about." Aaros says, climbing up the ladder just behind me, pulling the cord to close it.

"I think it's because there's a bath in there…" I murmur, my mind drifting into the bathroom with Naya.

"Head out of the gutter, Sar." Aaros says as he walks by me, towards the bedroom, snapping me out of my semi-erotic daydream.

"It wasn't in the gutter. Just… On the curb… Looking into the gutter."

Aaros chuckled and opened the bedroom door. "Sure it was. Anyways, you and Naya can have the bedroom and have a good ole' romp around in the gutter tonight. There's only one bed."

"Seriously? I guess it makes sense, though…" I sigh and smile, realizing that I'm going to be almost naked with Naya, again.

A few minutes later, with Aaros and I getting comfortable on the couch, Naya opens the bathroom door and heads to the bedroom door with only a towel covering her. I blink and watch after her, and she winks at me before closing the door. A few seconds later, though, she cracks it and says to me: "Bath first, then come to bed."

I think that's the fastest I've ever cleaned myself.


	7. Chapter 7: To the Frontier

Life in Sword Art Online had started to feel normal. Aaros began teaching Naya and myself to learn to read an opponent's moves, and be aware of our surroundings at all times; he was giving us a crash course in his military training.

We're getting close to ending our third week in this world, tomorrow is November 26, and the first floor still hasn't been cleared. Nobody has even made it to the labyrinth yet, or so that's what Argo says.

I decide to relay this information to my friends tonight, whenever we decide to settle down for the night. We've been staying out of towns for the past week and a half, trying to make as much progress on the frontier as possible. At the moment, we're still traversing the plains, keeping the swamp about a half mile to our right, giving us a place to use as a reference, and also some place to escape to, should the need arise.

Aaros finally speaks up well after the sky had gotten dark.

"Alright, we're setting up camp for the night. Naya, start on the tents, I'll help. Sar, start working on the fire and dinner."

Naya and I show our approval, setting about our assigned tasks. Aaros has been keeping us apart for some time, and it's starting to get to us. We're always casting sideways glances to each other, and smiling when we make eye contact. It's not too bad, though. Naya seems to have found something to keep herself busy at night, so that's a relief. I suppose I should find something to work on in my spare time, as well.

After gathering enough wood for a fire, I looked through my inventory to see what I had to cook with. With Aaros assigning me to cook each time, I've been able to level my cooking skill enough that I'm able to decently cook common foods. Deciding on a good pork chop, I set out to prepare a dish that my friends would enjoy. After prepping the ingredients, all I had left to do was sit and wait for it to cook.

As the food cooked over the fire, I glanced over at Naya and Aaros who had just finished pitching up the tents. Seeing all of us work together, it made me feel like we were a family. With Aaros as the dad to keep us both in line. It was a happy feeling.

A soft ding indicated that the food was done cooking. Grabbing three plates from my inventory, I stacked pork chop after porkchop until each of the plates had three nicely seared pork chops.

"Guys. Dinner's ready." I called, handing them each a plate as they gathered around the fire.

Naya and I get ready to stuff our faces before we notice Aaros doing something out of the usual. With the plate balanced in his lap, Aaros had his head bowed and was muttering something to himself. It didn't take long for me to realize that he was praying.

I was about to continue eating as I saw Aaros close his prayer before Naya broke the silence.

"Aaros, is there something troubling you?" She asked in a worried tone.

I had to agree, something did seem to be weighing down on his mind. In all the years I'd known Tyler, he always did his best to stay calm and collected. Rarely did he let his guard down and show some form of weakness.

"My wife always said a prayer before she ate a meal. I can't recall one time where Missy forgot to pray before eating," Aaros said, cracking a slight smile at the mention of her name. "Doing this makes me feel like she's right here next to me. It gives me the strength to keep on going."

That's when it all made sense to me. I always looked at Tyler as this man who would adapt to any situation without the slightest hint of emotion. But, in reality, it was actually the complete opposite. Though he did adapt to the situation, he had to show emotion just to keep himself sane. Though it showed more of his human side than I had ever seen, it was sad to see my best friend during a moment of weakness.

The tension in the air was shattered as Naya wrapped her arms around Aaros in a warm embrace, taking both him and I off guard. There were no words, no guarantees of the future, just a warm hug for a friend in need. And that was all it took to make the tears flow.

I'd never seen Tyler shed so much as a single tear before, much less cry full out like this. But here I stood, watching as my best friend let out all of his pain. I walked over, standing opposite of where Naya was, and did the same as she did.

The few minutes of silence seemed like hours. The only noise in the air being Aaros's crying. Before long, his crying slowly died off before completely stopping.

"Thank you, both of you," Aaros said as he reached for his plate. "We'd better eat before Sar's delicious cooking gets cold."

Naya looked to me for approval as to whether or not he would be okay. With a soft nod, we both returned to our seats and said a small prayer for our friend before we ate our food. Aaros was right, this is the best dish I've made yet.

As we finished our food, we decided now was a good time as ever to go to sleep. As I walked over to my tent, I noticed Aaros standing right next to it.

"I just wanted to say thanks, bro. I don't like people seeing me like that, but I'm glad you two were there when it happened." Aaros said with an honest smile.

I didn't know what to say without it sounding strange, so I gave simple nod. That was enough for Aaros as he patted me on the shoulder and went to his tent.

I don't know why, but I suddenly felt like my entire world was about to be changed. Hopefully a good nights rest will make me feel better.

Thanks to Aaros's strict training, I've lately been waking up on my own around 06:30 AM. I had to in order to be fully awake when we started our morning exercise. Even as I emerged from my tent, I notice that Aaros had already packed up his tent and was practicing throwing his knife at a tree.

"Morning Sar, I hope you got enough rest." Aaros stated, back to his usual, serious self.

"With you as my teacher, I could get all the rest I wanted and still not be ready for this." I said as I equipped my armor.

"If you give me your all I won't complain," Aaros promised. "Same rules as always. The second one of us reaches yellow, we stop. You give me your all, and I will give you what I feel is reasonable."

Hefting my claymore from my back, I readied myself into a firm fighting stance. With a slight bend at my knees and my claymore above my head, pointed straight towards Aaros. Just like usual, Aaros stood cross armed as he stared straight into my eyes.

I didn't hesitate. With a strong kick, I flung myself towards Aaros with my blade leading the drive. As expected, Aaros crouched down to dodge. What I didn't expect was the butt of his blade impacting with my jaw. As I came to a stop, I turned on my heel so as not to give him the chance to come from behind.

This time he struck. Sending a volley of kicks straight at me as I took up a strong guard. Seeing an opening I swept my claymore in a quick upward sweep, landing my hit. But the blow didn't meet flesh. Instead he blocked it with his knife, sending his up into the air.

I finally thought I had gained the advantage, readying my blade to strike him on his way down. But then I felt a strong impact against my chest. Looking down, I noticed Aaros's dagger jutting from my chest. Luckily the armor took most of the damage. That's when I saw my mistake. I took my eyes off of Aaros.

Before I knew what was happening, Aaros was right in my face. With a devastating kick, he drove the knife further into me before delivering a final staggering punch as he pulled the knife back out and went for a finishing slash at my face. With quick reflexes, I blocked his knife with my claymore, ramming the hilt of my blade to the center of his chest.

Even though I hit him, he just bounced back and was back in my face before I could react. Feeling the impact of his blade against the crease in my shoulder, I watched my health drift into the yellow. Seeing this, I quickly let go of my weapon so as to indicate his victory.

"You're getting better," Aaros said with his hand stretched out to me. "With more practice, you'll eventually be able to keep up with me."

Gripping his hand, Aaros pulled me to my feet before giving me a health potion.

"Does this mean you were going all out this time?" I asked before chugging the potion.

"Sadly, no," Aaros replied. "Though I have the experience and the knowledge, the games stat system prevents me from doing anything beyond my current avatar limitations. With lots of work, I'll eventually be able to go all out."

"Maybe I should thank Kayaba for putting you on a leash," I said, chuckling at the angry looks I was now getting. "You know I'm kidding. We'll just need to keep practicing until we both become stronger."

"Are you two done yet?" Naya asked, emerging from her tent.

"Yeah, we're done. I just had to show Sar how much further he has before he can win your heart." Aaros said with a devious smirk.

The statement had his desired effect as Naya's face turned so red with embarrassment, she could probably blend in with the sky from day one.

Naya eventually blew off the embarrassing remark and instead opened her menu. "Well I just wanted to let you know, Aaros, that I finished the cloak you wanted me to make you. Took me a while to gather the materials, but I finally found enough to make it."

Accepting the trade request, a large, blood red cloak appeared in Aaros's hands. "This is awesome, Naya. Thank you."

Equipping the cloak, a large scarf with a hood appeared around Aaros's neck. With a long section of the cloak blowing in the wind, I noticed small rips and tatters along the length of the fabric.

"Naya, why is it all ripped and torn?" I asked.

Naya blushed at the statement. "Well, I'm not that skilled at weaving yet. The materials I gathered were to add additional stats to sneak and speed skills. But when I tried to make it, it came out like this. I'm sorry if you don't like it, Aaros. I can make another one if you want."

Lowering the hood from his head, Aaros gave a warm smile. "It's perfect, Naya. I like the way it looks and the stat boost is actually really good for your skill level."

You could have probably told Naya that she had just won the lottery and she probably wouldn't have looked as excited as she did now. I thought it looked adorable how happy that one compliment made her.

"I'm starting to feel a little jealous here, Naya. I'd like to have a cool accessory made just for me too." I said with a slight comedic whimper.

With a flustered expression on her face, she apologized over and over. "I'm really sorry, Sar! I can't believe I didn't think to make one for you! I mean, Aaros just thought it would be good practice and I didn't want to let him down is all! Please don't be upset with me!"

Both Aaros and I couldn't help but laugh as she turned many different shades of red. "It's okay, Naya. I was just joking. But I would like one some time. But maybe just a scarf. I'm not really digging the whole hood thing." I said, taking a shot at Aaros.

With a little puff at the cheeks, Aaros popped his hood over his head and went to take down the other two tents as Naya started asking if I would like any special stat boosts for the scarf.

Before long, it was time to continue on our way towards Tolbana. We're still a few hours away, so we decided to head out earlier than usual.

The hike across the plains was the same as yesterday, long and boring with intermittent training sessions. Tyler curbstomps me every time, too, which isn't really raising my confidence any.

But there was a bright side to the long, arduous hiking. While Naya and Aaros walked ahead of me, I would take the moment to observe my surroundings, listening and watching for the slightest bit of movement so as to increase my skills. I can expect that Aaros was doing the same, because hunting started to become easier as we progressed. Naya was happy since that meant she could eat more of my cooking, which made me especially happy.

"Sar, you can tell your friend to stop hiding now. I spotted her an hour ago." Aaros said.

"Wha- Who are you talking about?" I asked, looking in all directions for who he was referring too.

That's when I heard a slight rustle in the trees. A very faint noise, certainly one that could be easily overlooked. Looking straight above me, that's when I noticed a small, feminine face with distinct painted-on whiskers. "Argo? What are you doing here?"

"Crap. I didn't think your detection skill would be so high," She said, amazed and aggravated at the same time.

Before I knew it, Argo lept from the tree and landed right between Naya and I, barely making a sound upon landing. She stood there, and noticed the three of us staring at her, shrugging her shoulders.

"Believe it or not, the four of us are the closest to Tolbana right now. The only reason I'm here, is because I've been riding on your coat tails the whole way." Argo took a lock of her light brown hair in her fingers and started twirling it, nonchalant about the whole thing.

"The whole way?" Aaros asked, mildly impressed. "I'll need to get better at my detection skill then."

Argo gave a pleasant grin at knowing she had some competition. "Better catch up fast then. By the way, love the cloak. Where did you find it?"

At this, Naya's face lit up with glee, and she spoke up, "I made it!" She said, a little over enthusiastic, making herself blush at the sudden outburst.

Argo smiled and winked at her. "Might commission one for myself. Who knows?"

Naya smiled again and started to fidget a little. I felt as though she'd probably explode with excitement if it weren't for her shyness.

"Well, Argo, if you'd like to accompany us on our travels, I don't see any reason to deny you that." Aaros stated.

Argo seemed to contemplate the offer for a moment before speaking up again. "And who says you're the one who should make that call? I think Sartarus here is the one who should be calling the shots," She said with a mischievous grin.

"Really now?" Aaros asked, with an equally mischievous look in his eyes. "Alright then. Sar, you lead the rest of the way. I could use the rest."

"Damnit, Argo." I let out under my breath, swiping down and pulling up my map. "Why do you always seem to get me into these kinds of situations?"

"It's just so much fun. You know you'd be bored if I didn't." Argo replied with a high five to Aaros.

After a few moments of looking at the map, I felt like the biggest idiot alive. Noticing the looks on Argo's and Aaros's faces, I could tell they already knew where we were. Even Naya was already looking in the right direction.

"According to the map, It's right in front of us." I said, sadly noticing the distant buildings for the first time.

"See, Sartarus is a master at navigation. Thanks Sar-kun!" Argo said as she and Aaros made their way towards the town, laughing and talking the whole way.

"I don't think I've ever seen Aaros be that cheerful with someone other than us." Naya said, giving a slight tug at my sleeve.

As I watched the two rogues walk off, I couldn't help but feel stupid for not noticing it before. "That's because Argo acts exactly like his daughter back in the real world."

Naya did a double take as I followed after Argo and Aaros. "He has a daughter?!"


End file.
